Im not sure if this is the right forum for this but they are varmits I guess. I have shot 8 of them in the last year on my property. Last night another forced its way into my chicken house and killed 3 hens. Ate only the heads and left the rest. I tracked him for 2 miles and then gave up....I figured by then he knew I was following him. Anyone have some good tips for getting him to come back and to help me cut down the population? They are really hard to hunt (I use that term loosely).

Hey Bill, you might look at the "small game forums" for additional tips, though it can be challenging to pick the legit advice from the rest of the discussions.

I have had great success trapping the buggers. A "Tomahawk" live trap, baited with sardines, works well if there is a chance of catching a non-target animal.



A "Conibear" in a fence opening or baited bucket makes a great cat trap, in size #220 (8"x8"), but will kill any non-target animals that stick their head in.

If its taking just the heads, it doesn't sound like the work of a cat. A weasel or mink is the only things I've seen that will just take the head off. They drink the blood. Don't know about a skunk. Often, a coon will eat only the craw.
Those live traps work pretty good. After you've made a catch, just put them in the crick until the bubbles stop coming up. If you use one, don't bait it with parts of the dead chicken. (it would have eaten the chicken on the first go round if it were chicken hungry) but use a piece of really bloody red meat.
Oh, by the way, you shouldn't worry about him coming back. If he got one free meal, he'll be back for more.

Thanks for the help guys - Im pretty sure its a cat. The tracks are too big for a weasel. about 1 inch across and that weasels around here are about the size of a guinea pig - little squirts. Im pretty sure we dont have mink here. Its not raccoon - I know that track but I hadnt thought about a skunk. I will have to get my track book out and do some comparing.

Wont need the creek for killing - .22 to the head outa do. I will keep ya posted and thanks again!

I have used those hava-heart live traps and they worked great. They work just like the ones in the pics. Just make sure that the traps are set "lightly" and have a small weight on the door to make it close faster and will lock up better.


Ray